VULIĆ: GROWING NUMBER OF VOICES CALLING TO END PROTECTORATE IN BiH

SARAJEVO, MAY 13 /SRNA/ - The debate at the United Nations proved that there is a growing number of voices believing that the era of the protectorate in BiH is coming to an end and that major powers are increasingly insisting on respect for the original Dayton Peace Agreement and agreements among the constituent peoples and local institutions, Sanja Vulić, head of the SNSD Caucus in the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, told SRNA.

Sanja Vulić assessed that, following Russia and China, the United States also sent a clear message that solutions in BiH cannot be the result of external imposition, but exclusively of internal agreement among the constituent peoples and legitimate institutions. "This confirms that the concept of international interventionism is slowly becoming a thing of the past and that more and more countries are insisting on consistent respect for the Dayton Peace Agreement. Republika Srpska has been the only side consistently adhering to the letter of the Dayton all these years, while official Sarajevo refers to some alleged `spirit of the Dayton,` attempting through impositions and transfers of competencies to create a unitary BiH," Vulić emphasized. She stated that the Dayton Peace Agreement clearly defined BiH as a community of two entities and three constituent peoples, warning that any deviation from that framework leads to new political crises and divisions. Commenting on the address by the Bosniak BiH Presidency member Denis Bećirović at the UN, Vulić said that his appearance without the consent of the BiH Presidency demonstrated the depth of the political crisis in Sarajevo. "Instead of speaking on behalf of everyone in BiH, he practically accused Republika Srpska, Serbia and Croatia of all problems, even though Serbia and Croatia are signatories of the Dayton Peace Agreement and countries that continuously assist BiH. When someone finds fault with neighbours, constituent peoples, and internationals who do not think alike, that says the most about that person," Vulić stressed. She stated that BiH cannot have a stable future while remaining under protectorate status, assessing that Christian Schmidt’s actions have additionally undermined trust among the peoples. "Schmidt suspended democratic principles and attempted to alter the constitutional order outside the agreement of local politicians. By doing so, he opened the process of dismantling the Dayton and should be held accountable for it," Vulić said. She emphasized that it is significant that today, despite numerous global differences, China, Russia and the United States share the position that equality among the constituent peoples and the original Dayton Peace Agreement must be respected in BiH, rather than the concept of a unitary state.